Jar-handling tool



April 24, 1928.

1,667,620 c. E. BONGE JAR HANDLING TOOL Filed March 22, 1927 2 Sheet-Shet 1 IHIIIHIZ; I

' INVENTOR WITNESSES BY 22241444446- 6; w ATTORNE-Y April 24, 1926. I 1,667,620

C. E. BONGE JAR HANDLING TOOL Filed March 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY %L I E: ATTORNEY the release of a jar.

Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

UNITED STATES.

1,661,620 PATENT ferric-1'3,

CHARLES EDWARD Boner; or CREIGHTON, NEBRASKAQA'SSIGNOB or ONE THIRD 'ro EVERETT 'A. HOUSTON AND ONE-THIRD. To nvnnnrr 'r. nonsro v, BOTH or ,NIOBRARA, N BR SKA, 1

JAR-HANDLING TOOL.

Application filed March 22, 1927. Serial No. 177,383.

to expedite the manual removal of a tight cap from various forms of containers.

An object of the invention is to provide a tool of this character which may be manipulated with convenience and expedition, and which-will reduce toa minimum the danger of burning or cutting the hands when handling hot jars or when applying and removing the caps of jars.

Otheraobjects are to provide a tool of simple, practical construction, which will be rugged, durable and eflicient in use, and which is well suited. to therequirements of economical manufacture and ready. adjustment to accommodate different sizes of articles to be handled.

-With the above noted and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features OfzCOIlStIUC'EiOIl and combinations and arrangements of parts, aswill be more fully; hereinafter set forth and :pointed out in the claims. The invention may be more fully understood-fromthe following description in connection with the faccompanyingadrawings, wherein.

Fig. 1 is a top plan-view of the tool of the present invention, a fruit-jar or similar article. being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 1 is a. sectional detail on the. line P 1 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 21s. a view in side elevation of the.

tool the can' again being shown-in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is af top plan view of the tool itself showing the latter adjusted to Fig. 4 is a sectional detail looking at the inside of the tool and with arts thereof broken away for the sake of c earness.-

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional detail on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings I have shown in dotted lines a container 10 such for instance as a glass fruit jar provided with the usual cap 11. The tool of the present invention is adapted to firmly embrace the jar so that permit,

the same maybe readily lifted and carried about; particularly, so that it may be conveniently deposited-in, or removed from a hot bath of liquid'without burning the hands of the operator. Thetool is also designed to firmly clamp the body of the jar so. that the cover portion thereof may be conveniently removed or applied by hand.

The tool includes an inner length of spring metal 12 bent upon itself into approximately convoluteform with its ends overlapping and slidably connected together. The inner end 13 of thestrip 12 ispreferably tapered as best seen in Fig. 4, and f providedonits inner face With a' ribbed or otherwise suitably surfaced rubber gripping body 14. adapted to frictionally engage the article tobe handled by the tool. Ears 15 integral with the inner end 13 of the strip overlie theo'uter surface of the, outer end of the strip. Preferably these ears are connected to the strip'end 13' through the intermediacy of integral laterally projecting portions 16, encircled by. handle sleeves 17.

Riveted or otherwise suitably secured at 18 to the outer face of the outer end of the strip 12 is a transversely disposed metal strip 18, theends of. which are extended and hooked over the inner end of thestrip I '12 as indicated at 19.-- The cars 19 and 15 thus provide cooperating guide members for. the sliding motion of the overlapped ends of the strip 12, so that the strip maybe readily contracted or expanded by sliding the overlappingends; These ears are arranged at each end of the strip and guide the sliding movement at the oppositev end.

Asecond spring metal strip 20 serves as a tightening hand, one end of this strip being preferablyanchored to, or, integral with the cross strip 18. Thestrip 20 is also bent into approximately convolute form with its ends overlapping and slidablyconnec ted together.

Preferably the free or inner end 21 of the strip 20 passes under thest-rip 18, the'latter being separated from the stri 12 and offset as indicated in Fig.1 to provide a guide for the end 21 of the strip 20. Ears 22 projecting laterally from the free end 21 of the strip 20'form part of a generally rectangular handle member 23 including'a portion 24 immediately overlying the outer face of the strip 20.

From the foregoing description it will-be seen that the ends of the relatively wide strip 12, and the relatively narrow tighten ing band 20 are connected together. It will also be seen that the ends of the strip 12 overlap and are slidably connected, and the ends of the bands 20 overlap and are slidably connected. The two handles 23 and 17 are connected to the inner ends of the strips 20 and 12 respectively. Movement of the handles 23, 17 away from each other from the position of Fig. 8, tends to tighten the outer band, while movement of the handles 17, 23 towards each other from the position of Fig. 3 tends to tighten the inner hand. Such relative separation of the two handles is shown in Fig. 1 where the tool has been contracted to firmly grip a fruit jar. The fact that a tightening operation involves the relative separation of the handles is important, not only because of easy manipulation of the tool when expanding or contracting it, but because of the fact that a considerable friction is set up between the inner strip and the outer band after the tool has been tightened; that is to say, not only the friction between the overlapping ends of a single band, but the friction between the inner and outer bands combines to prevent accidental springing open of the tool. Slipping of the tool ofi a jar or container is effectively prevented by the friction cushion 14.

It will be evident that due to the width of the strip 12, the tool may be dipped into the water far enough to engage a fruit jar without wetting the hands which operate the oppositely movable tightening handles 23 and 17. It will also be apparent that when the device hasbeen tightened on the jar, a slight pressure against the handle 23 in the proper direction will tend to further jam the tool into engagement with the container which it encircles, and a slippery circular container may be thus tightly and snugly held without effort, while applying or removing a cap.

Thus, the tight application of the caps, as

well asthe ready removal thereof is rendered easy.

Obviously the same tool might be used for holding containers of other than circular cross sectional shape.

Inasmuch as the tool is readily reversible,

either hand may be used for grasping the large handle 23. Thus the tool may be used with equal facility by either right or left handed persons.

Various changes and alterations Ini'g'htbe made in the general form and arrangement 'ofparts described witliout'departing from the invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the details set forth, but shall consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool of the class described including a strip of spring metal bent into substantially circular form with its ends overlap.- ping, handle means forcontractingor expanding the strip, and means slidably connecting the overlapping ends to guide the expansive or contractilemovement of the strip, said means including pairs of ears carried by each end of the strip andQguiding the opposite end;

2. A tool of the class described including a jar engaging strip of spring metal bent ening band including a narrower stripbf spring metal bent into convolute form with its ends overlapping and slidably connected together, cooperating handle meanscarried by the inner ends of the jar engaging strip and the tightening strip respectively for sliding the pairs of overlapping strip ends to.

expand or contract the tool, and means associated with said handles for guiding theslid-v ing movement of the overlapped stripends.

CHARLES EDWARD BONGE.

CERTIFICATE QF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,667,620. Granted April 24, 1928, to

CHARLES EDWARD BONGE.

it is hereby certified that the above numbered patent was erroneously issued to the inventor said Bongo, one third to Everett A. Houston and one third to Everett T, Houston, as assignees, whereas said patent should have been issued to the inventor said Charles Edward Bonge, one third to Everett A. Houston and Everett T. Houston, both of Niohrara, Nebraska, as assignees, as shown by the records of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 29th day of May, A. D. 1928.

v M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

